Latest / The Future Travel Experience (FTE) Podcast / How Martha Edge and the Canine Crew are making Charlotte Douglas International Airport top dog with passengers

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How Martha Edge and the Canine Crew are making Charlotte Douglas International Airport top dog with passengers · The Future Travel Experience (FTE) Podcast

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_02: Ever felt like the world is moving too fast, that is simply not enough time between clearing your inbox and joining the next team's call to give deep and meaningful thought to the technologies that are about to transform your aviation operation?
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_02: Well, help is at hand with this new future travel experience podcast.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_02: Proud to be part of the Apex family.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_02: My name is Max Cosny, and tune in for a collaborative and friendly forum where we'll guide you on the innovations that are too important to ignore.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: Each episode, I'll be interviewing aviation chiefs who've blazed a trail with new technology.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_02: You can listen on your way to work while travelling to an Apex FTE event, or even while walking your dog.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_02: Whatever your preference, you'll uncover a wealth of collaboration, best practice, and creative thinking.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: Enjoy.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_02: Hello and welcome to today's show, ladies and gentlemen.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: Let me begin by going back to the very start.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_02: And scriptures.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_02: The book of Ecclesiastes says, What has been will be again.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: What has been done will be done again.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_02: There is nothing new under the sun.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_02: The words rang true as I caught up with Martha Edge, Innovation and Experienced Director at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, CLT, on today's episode.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: Martha shows how cutting-edge technology can be blended with some existing ideas if you want to put a smile on your passengers' faces.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: If you've had the pleasure of flying through Charlotte Douglas, then you know that some of the airport staff aren't your traditional type.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: They've deployed sausage dogs and collies to help passengers with anxiety to relieve that stress and bring a smile to their faces.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_02: To tell us more about how dogs can perk up your passenger experience and the other cutting-edge innovations that have been deployed at Charlotte Douglas.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_02: Listen up and I'll hand over to Martha.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: Enjoy the show.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: Good morning, Martha, and welcome to the pod.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Good morning, Max.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: So nice to be here.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_02: No, great to have you on the show.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: How is everything there in Charlotte?
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Everything is wonderful.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's a bit steamy.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: The summer has started here and the weather has started to creep in in the south.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: So uh we're bracing for impact there, but really excited to be in this environment finally and and sense a little bit of uh of relief from the uh the schooling that everyone is going through here.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: School holiday season.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, for once we can say it's also sunny and hot in in the UK.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: So how often can we say that?
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: So uh we we can rival you of the temperatures this week, I think.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'd like to send you some of our air conditioning.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: Let's sort that out after the show because I really need it with beads of sweat here.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um recording this.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_02: Martha, you are innovation and experience director at Charlotte Douglas International.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_02: What does that mean?
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: I get this question all the time.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, in fact, sometimes from folks that I've worked with for a very long time.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the innovation and experience division was created just a little over seven years ago.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it was a new to us division.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: The the word innovation was really quite the buzzword in the industry at the time, as it's you know been for a long time, but was really honing in on the aviation ecosystem.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: So uh our CEO, who was um my boss at the time and in a chief role, uh, she created this division uh called Innovation and Experience.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: And what it did at Charlotte was it pulled together at the time four core divisions that would focus on the customer journey.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: So we started with marketing, digital, customer engagement, and business intelligence.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: And we've since evolved those within the last seven years, where we have uh digital turned into our innovation implementation group, uh, a much better nomenclature and fit for what the division is actually doing.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Marketing, I think, speaks for its own.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: So uh hopefully that's pretty self-explanatory.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: But of course, we are very heavily involved in the brand and revenue generation components for the airport in partnership with our business and revenue division.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, business intelligence has just grown tremendously over the course of the last seven years to include, you know, all things data.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: And now, of course, we're talking about uh AI implementation to help better the business in some of those areas.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then we have um customer engagement, which encompasses everything from our art program, our customer-centric design uh elements that we contribute and partner with our planning and development and architectural teams on, um, and uh our volunteer program.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: We have a very robust volunteer program of people, dogs, and piano players.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've ever been through the Charlotte Airport, you may have walked through our main atrium and heard the wonderful tunes from the piano players.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: They are a part of the volunteer program and they graciously come out to our airport uh many times during the week and just provide a wonderful environment, wonderful experience for the folks that are connecting through it.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: I wasn't familiar with that.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: People, dogs, and piano players sounds like the cast of a great party.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: Uh where do the dogs listen?
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: So the dogs are actually a part of a therapy dog program.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So the the dogs and their, we call them the K9 Crew, CLT K9 Crew.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: They are uh part of a therapy dog program.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we work with a company uh with in the United States, just like many other airports do.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: But the dogs are are really helping to address the psychological impacts that travelers experience when they come through airports.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I know, Max, you've been in the industry for quite some time, so you're probably much more of an experienced traveler.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: But as you know, we have many people that come into our environment on a day-to-day basis that really this being at the airport and flying on an aircraft creates a great sense of anxiety.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: So imagine that you're stressed and you're rushing through a busy airport, and then there is this cute little puppy, or a cute uh dog, of course, that's um certified in in therapy programs, and there's just nothing like it.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: It it takes that stress away and anxiety away, especially for folks, of course, that appreciate dogs.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, you know, this is the same rationale that was used on me last night because my um wife and son and daughter have convinced me to sign off getting some new rabbits, which I know de-stressing, emotional support.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: So similar similar concept, but it so how but with the dogs, are they well to talk me through it?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: So are they um they're positioned as the passengers going through the terminal?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_02: How how does it work?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, no, great question.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: So they're they're positioned at various locations within our terminal complex post-security, where um, Charlotte, I'm not sure if you're familiar or not, we are very heavy connecting airport.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we are home to American Airlines' second largest hub in their system.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: So we have a little more than um, gosh, it's 70 to 75 percent of customers are actually just connecting through our facility.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: So they are the dog teams are positioned post-security at key points where we know that there is potential congestion or confusion as to which direction someone may go.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the dogs are there to provide provide this happy uh surprise and delight experience and uh that emotional support, as you mentioned, with the rabbits.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you decide to get some rabbits.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_02: Well, that's why I'm looking so uh so uh sort of stress-free, Martha.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: The listeners can't see it.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: You see how happy I am having downstairs with the rabbits, chilling out.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, no, it does have a big effect, I guess, like you say, on anxiety.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_02: Have you had some um feedback on that from the customers?
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, the feedback is tremendous.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, nothing but positive feedback, and the program has been in effect now for just slightly over 10 years here at Charlotte.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: So it's growing uh tremendously, and we have a wonderful team.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: There are dogs of all sizes.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the smallest is a dachshund.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Her name is Penny, and uh, you know, she's she's pretty tiny, typical Dachshund size.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then of course we have some of the larger breed dogs as well.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I think next on the list is a a collie that is uh getting ready to join the program and uh might uh move the needle a little over uh at 90 pounds.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I think we're going from you know maybe 12 to 20 to 90 in size.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: You've just I've just written down an idea of maybe we need some some dogs there at uh the next FTE event to kind of de-stress exhibitors and teams as we come in.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe maybe there's an idea there.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: How fun.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, we'll connect on that.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: But uh, you know, honest serious, not it just an example we're going to discuss, but it's how you've brought in an idea that might not be typical to the industry.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I don't know where where the original thoughts came from, but it just shows you know a creative bit of thinking where it's making a real impact on the passenger journey.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_02: And and if it does take away that anxiety, what what a great outcome for us all.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Fantastic.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's interesting in the name of innovation, when we're thinking of things outside of technology solutions, it's those things that are addressing the psychological needs of the travelers and the employees in certain situations as well.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: So that is something that we focus on very heavily here at CLT is our innovation program is really focusing on practical solutions that help with our business and help with our traveler.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: So it may not always be a technology solution.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: It may be something like this that presents that emotional support or that psychological element uh and there are actual people involved versus leveraging technology uh to solve a problem.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_02: Indeed, Martha, um I was reading that you were the first person to lead both the terminal operations and the innovation and experience divisions at CLT.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: What advantages do you think that has brought you in the role?
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a great question.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: So, yes, um, as Charlotte has grown tremendously, I was fortunate to be able to step into not one, but two roles that were newly created here uh at the airport.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, interestingly, when I began uh working for Charlotte uh for the aviation department, there were less than 400 employees working for the airport side of the house.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: And now I believe as of yesterday, we're right at a thousand employees.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: So the growth has been tremendous, but that has followed the growth of the airport significantly as well.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of the traffic that American Airlines uh fortunately brings to us in Charlotte.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: So uh advantages I've had there, um I always like to tell everyone the advantages that I have seen is that I've had this blank canvas uh to research and uh explore and understand what are the needs of Charlotte, both from the terminal operations perspective, from my previous role, and then now from the innovation and experience perspective.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's really been uh pretty amazing.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very fortunate to have had that opportunity to lead, you know, not one but two new divisions.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but just being able to understand what these two groups can do for the airport and for the customer has just been absolutely amazing.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we have lots of outreach with our stakeholder partners that work here over the years in both divisions.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: At one point in uh the terminal operations group, um, I was addressing a need of stranded customers.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I mentioned when we were chatting earlier that the the weather in the south maybe is is not so ideal in the summertime.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: So advice to all is if you're gonna be traveling, you know, in the southeast in the summer, maybe you should consider a morning flight because typically in the afternoon that's when your weather is gonna roll in.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I was fortunate to be able to understand there was a need uh more than gosh, 10, 15 years ago of customers that were stranded in our terminal at night.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, a typical airport will close down uh and you'll have folks that need to exit the secure area.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, maybe there's no restaurants in that area, maybe it's cold, it's loud, it's bright.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I was able to chip away at understanding what we could provide for our customers here at CLT.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: So uh fast forward a little bit, and we ended up uh adopting a policy where if customers do not exit the secure area at night before the checkpoints close, then they are able to stay somewhere comfortable within the secure area.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we even gone as uh went as far years ago as to deploy uh sleeping cots, pillows, and blankets in partnership with the airlines.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it was just a much better experience for someone who was not expecting to uh stay the night here in North Carolina.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I'd imagine um for someone, you know, my sort of experience in the past has been perhaps someone in operations, would say someone in an innovation department, well, great idea, but the reality is when the heat's on, it won't work for these reasons.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_02: But for you, you you know what it's like when the pressure's on, you're trying to get that um flight pattern away in the morning.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_02: So it must be a fantastic combination to see this is what it's practically like.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_02: So this is what this innovation needs to be able to hold up to in um when the rubber hits the road.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you know, on paper, ideas could be absolutely phenomenal, but until you're actually in the problem, it I think that's where the best ideas have come from uh for solving.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, I going back to your original question, I absolutely appreciate that I had the opportunity to work this blank canvas and turn it into a beautiful piece of art and had the trust from our leadership here to be able to do that and support as well.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, brilliant stuff.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_02: Martha, we uh recently got chatting on the um FTE Communities Group BIWG tour at London Heathrow back in March.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we went and we saw the the baggage system there that Jamie and the team um have been developing.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_02: What ideas did you take from that visit that you've brought back to um to Charlotte?
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: That was a wonderful tour as well, and I appreciated that opportunity.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: So uh shout out to Heathrow for allowing us to join.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh never, you know, will there be another opportunity where folks from around the world might have the opportunity to really learn and understand and see and feel uh that massive baggage operation that occurs at the world's largest airport.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: So what I took from that um that particular tour, um, a lot of my focus is really understanding what is our core business and what areas do we need to address to make sure that movement continues.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: So for the baggage innovation working group tour there of Heathrow, I was really looking to understand where we could potentially identify system failures.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we all know that if those conveyors stop, everything else it trickles down to a ripple effect.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: So everything else stops or slows down.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: And how do we recover?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: How long does it take to recover?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I was particularly interested in not only looking at the early bag storage to understand how not to saturate the system so much that it does cause them to fail, but also understand how the systems are monitored, who is monitoring them, uh, what technologies are you using for that monitoring?
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And are there things that we could implement for the baggage handling team that's working directly in those spaces that is helpful for their safety and health and just making it a much more seamless experience.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: I know it's probably seems rather simple.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: You're taking a bag and you're putting it, you know, from one conveyor to another, or the conveyor is moving it, but we introduce so many different human factors to those that conveyor process and that moving process.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe Martha forgot to take a strap off of her bag and it's it's gotten caught in the system as it's going from conveyor to conveyor.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, was there a way that we could have caught that on the front end?
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it is on the human at this point that's typically in the loop to make sure that the bags are ready and that there's proper baggage hygiene when introducing the baggage to the system.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, what are things that that we can do to help monitor and basically help stop any sort of anomalies from happening?
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: Any no failures is the name of the game.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_02: The game of flow, I've heard it described as.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, which and how to eliminate those blockages like like you described.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, how important is that to you to get out and see other operations?
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's extremely important.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when you work in one airport, you know one airport.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it's sometimes difficult to think beyond uh the typical box to understand how you're going to solve a problem.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: The value has been tremendous.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: The partnership with FTE to allow us to go to these other airports and make these connections and network with our counterparts across the world has been absolutely amazing and really helped with all of us here at Charlotte.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's not just me that's getting out there and going to meet these other counterparts and going on their the tours, but it's it's my team and uh members from other teams that are within the same uh department that we work in here at CLT.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: I I understand that you have a digital twin program in operation there for your fourth runway.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: Can you tell me more about that as a novice and newbie to the job?
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_02: What does that mean?
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, that's exciting.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: So uh a question I asked early on when digital twins were becoming quite the buzzword around our industry and asked to some of our amazing counterparts in Vancouver and Dallas and folks, you know, what exactly is a digital twin?
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: So uh what I learned, you know, a long time ago is that, you know, you could have a digital twin for many different systems, but where does one start at an airport?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: So uh at CLT, where others have potentially started uh focusing on maybe a certain area, maybe it's the terminal, maybe it's a digital twin of the baggage, uh the baggage system.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, Charlotte has a unique opportunity where we're partnering with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, which is the local university here in our town, as well as the Sullenberger Aviation Museum, which is our aviation museum here on property.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: They formed a partnership called the Air Institute.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: And this was generated by our chief infrastructure officer and his team within the engineering and planning divisions.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: So the partnership has allowed the potential of this digital twin on the fourth parallel runway that's currently in construction at CLT.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's a 10,000-foot runway that exists on the western side of our campus, uh, a very much needed surface that's coming to us.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: But as they are building this runway and as the infrastructure is going in, the uh university partnership with the airport is allowing the opportunity for sensors to be placed within the pavement.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: So the pavement can measure the lifestyle, the life cycle of the concrete.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, the sensors can measure the um the load that is being taken and basically measure how to improve the materials that are used in these massive infrastructure projects.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, what better sandbox than a runway?
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: And a runway, you know, that's not necessarily built at airports uh quite frequently.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: This is a really big deal for us.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it's going to be absolutely amazing for the university and the partners here to study what the sensors are telling them about the quality of the pavement and about the conditions that the runway experiences uh over the course of its life.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: I think uh early on in my ops days, I was told that typically if you have a concrete runway, you have between 20 and 25 years for that runway before it really starts to break down and you have to pay attention to it.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, much less if you're using asphalt.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and of course, if you're in the south and it gets really steamy here.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so the digital twin project for the fourth parallel runway program here at CLT is absolutely amazing.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: We're all pinching ourselves that it's happening, and credit to our infrastructure team and our our chief uh Jack Christine, who is over that division, for everything that he's doing to uh help this partnership happen.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I will say a little plug: the partnership with the engineering and infrastructure division has also helped us and the innovation group figure out what partnerships we can have with uh this university uh Air Institute as well.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: Make sure you register today to join us at Apex Future Travel Experience EMEA 2026 on the 9th to the 11th of June in Dublin.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_02: This is the event is a definitive gathering for airlines, airports, and technology leaders who want to drive digital transformation, customer experience, operational innovation at scale.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_02: The event is co-located with FTE Auxiliary and Retailing, where we bring together airports airlines, retailers, and technology partners to unlock next generation revenue options at scale.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_02: Sign up, go to future travel experience.com, or you can email me, max at future travel experience.com for more information.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_02: If you want to discover great content, outstanding creativity, and strong collaboration amongst your peers, and make a date for Dublin is due.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_02: See you there.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_02: So if I've grasped that right, the sensors read the actual live data on the condition of the runway.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_02: They and it's it's then beamed back to uh a different location, modelled, um you know, that syndicates what's happening on the real runway, but it's modelled in a different location under a software system, therefore you can see uh maintenance plan maintenance.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_02: Whether things are wearing faster than you thought they would, slower than you thought you would, but um it's all done as a kind of replicant of the actual runway surface, right?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, in true digital twin format and fashion.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: That exactly.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: Well, there you go, Martha.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_02: You've explained uh a digital twin to uh uh an absolute you know layperson with limited understanding.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: So you've done a great job there um conveying that one to me.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_02: Well done.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: And just think about, you know, years down the road when um they're developing these um materials for these surfaces.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's a different uh chemical makeup or of something in the concrete to help it last longer.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or there's something in it maybe that that helps it not to be as slick or helps with the the water runoff, etc.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: So excited to see what's uh what's on down the line for that.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, indeed.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_02: Very clever.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_02: You have a mega security, mega security checkpoints um with advanced scanning technology.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you invested, I think, fairly extensively in the in that development in response to customer feedback.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_02: So, how did you go about deciding that was a pinch point that you wanted to um develop in response to the kind of passenger experience?
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll I'll bounce back over to our infrastructure division again.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, this was something that was led um under our same chief.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we knew that the airport was bursting at the seams, and the front of the house was the challenge.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: We went from five checkpoints, which were relatively small.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, actually, when I started, it was only four checkpoints.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: The fifth was added as part of a project years down the road.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it what ended up being five checkpoints, all leading into one terminal, but of course leading into different areas in the terminal.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so customer feedback on congestion, confusion.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it was difficult to balance the cues.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think you and I both know, you know, the in psychology, people are going to follow other people.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: So it was happening quite frequently where everyone was going to the same checkpoint.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then here you have these other checkpoints where the screeners are standing around and they're waiting for the customers to come through.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: So helping balance the load to ensure that movement is continually happening at all of those points.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I would imagine it was most likely a decision by our architecture team under the infrastructure division and our partner uh partnerships with architectural and design um organizations to help us understand why what might actually be best for Charlotte.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: So that was when the idea of these mega checkpoints were born.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: So we've now gone from what was five checkpoints to two mega checkpoints.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then uh the checkpoint that was um built, uh gosh, I think it was in the early 2010s, um, is now functioning as the third checkpoint.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so the benefits of the mega checkpoints are from me, the customer service perspective, there are less choices.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's relatively easy to understand where you need to go, especially for those travelers that really only come to us once or twice a year.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: We want that experience to be continuous, we want it to be pleasant, and we want the flow to be something that's optimal for the folks that are screening as well to help continue the movement through those checkpoints.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: So it's really been phenomenal for us to have these.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's easy to navigate, it's easy to see where you need to go.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: We've added a bunch of digital tools via our website, mobile application, and on content management screens throughout the airport that guide you to where the shortest queue is and which checkpoint has which offering.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you're going to standard screening or you're going to TSA pre-check or now pre-check touchless ID, it's it's truly phenomenal to have everything all in one space.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, when those checkpoints were being designed, it was also about the same time that the automated screening lanes were increasing in popularity around the country.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think Atlanta had implemented the first.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: So everyone was studying this philosophy and this concept.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: And we were fortunate to visit with some other airports to see different vendors, different products, and understand the benefits.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: So the new mega screening checkpoints at checkpoint one and checkpoint two and three at Charlotte all have an element of uh automated screening lanes there as well to really help with the spreading out of the divesture, having more people potentially preparing for the screening process at once.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I know it's relatively older technology now, but it's been tremendous for us in the amount of people we can move through these checkpoints uh each hour.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's an interesting example in problem solving because most people, when you have um a situation like that, I guess with volume coming through, you would think, oh, we need more, we need more checkpoints to want more people.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_02: But actually turn that on its head and said, no, less, but able to cope with more is um less steps to go through, is actually a better way to increase the flow.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I think from a if you think about uh operational planning um for our TSA counterparts uh who um they're responsible for the regulatory function here at Charlotte for screening, it also allowed them to better utilize their their staffing.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, instead of having to move people from one checkpoint to another to cover for breaks or at shift change, it really gives them more of this consolidated area where you can simply just move from lane to lane as needed instead of having to completely close everything out, uh, do all of their checks to shut one down and then move to another.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: So just that operational planning and thoughtfulness has been something.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: And all of this was done in partnership with the TSA as well.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so rewinding back to those times, they were they were with us every step of the way, and it was truly phenomenal to have that partnership.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_02: Excellent.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_02: Martha, how did you first um become interested in aviation?
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, what does what was the start of your story?
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, so my story was I I grew up overseas.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: I uh was fortunate to live in Germany and also in England.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: So uh uh I just appreciate hearing your accent.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: It sounds like home.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: Although I'll need you to have a Yorkshire.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: German time isn't as good.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't do German at school, so we'll just stick to English.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so um was born here in the US, um, but went overseas.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: My father worked for the government and was fortunate to um to have that time overseas.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: And uh when I moved back here, it was early in the university days.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: I was just itching to get back.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, all of my friends were overseas, and uh it's it's just a very different environment here in the US than it is um in in a smaller town in the UK, for example.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I started thinking of ways that I could get back easily.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and my aunt and uncle had both worked for the airlines uh with Eastern Airlines, Pan Am and then my uncle went on to work with Saudi Arabian Airlines as well.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I always loved watching them and hearing about their adventures.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: And and honestly, my aunt uh is someone that I strive to be just like.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: So uh her Pan Am days were just some amazing days.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I said, you know, maybe I'm I'm gonna try and be a flight attendant as she was.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I went down the course of going for interviews and uh somehow throughout the process of the interviews, my application was handed over to the station manager of Delta Airlines here in Charlotte.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: And uh he called me and I said, wow, I'd never even considered working at the airport.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: So uh he called me, I interviewed, came in for uh the interview, and and was successful in uh receiving the job there.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I will say, as badly as I wanted to be a flight attendant and follow in my aunt's footsteps, I was absolutely fascinated and enamored by the operational aspect of the airline at a small station at the time.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: Delta's since grown here in Charlotte, but I loved every aspect of it.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: I pretty much performed every single piece of work I could do here.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um I was mainly above wing, but of course, in a small station, when you need to, you go down and you help load bags and you do whatever it takes.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: So really appreciated that opportunity.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, and that just that's what got me into the industry.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I appreciated every day.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: No day was the same.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: It still is, I can still say that today, uh, but just appreciated the opportunity with Delta to get into this industry and and continue to know where my place is to help better the aviation ecosystem is.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's that customer-first philosophy uh that will never leave me.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: I loved everything about the um opportunities I had there to interact on the front line with the customers.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: You really feel like you make a difference.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: And um and Delta really supported that for me as well.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: They uh always made sure that myself and my co-workers had that opportunity to um uh understand that, you know, you are the representative of the company here and you are going to make or break this experience.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: And it was on us.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: And the responsibility is what has stuck with me uh to this day is that um, you know, I I wear a badge, the customer doesn't necessarily know who I work for, but I've been the one that's I'm the one that's in front of them at the time to help make a difference in their experience, whether it's safety, security, or just the experience itself.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_02: Excellent stuff.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_02: And um, I hope I've remembered this correctly from our conversation at Heathrow.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_02: But your husband works within aviation as well?
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: He is also within aviation, yes.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_00: We've canvassed two of the top three airlines.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so yes, um, so I'm sure you would imagine he's with American Airlines and uh has has been with the um the airline since they were US Airways uh and had a wonderful experience with them as well.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, uh I I enjoy watching him uh in his current role at the airline and uh appreciate the the connections that he's made along the way as well.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, so we are an aviation family through and through.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: And I and therefore my follow-up question, you've probably spotted it at my office, is um what would you say if um one of the children decided that, yeah, I want to be like mom and dad, I want to go and work in the aviation industry?
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_02: What would you say?
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think we would be tremendously proud.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I know speaking for myself, I would absolutely be proud.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um my daughter is getting ready to uh be the age that she'll be going off to university, so we have about another year for that.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the big conversation in our house is uh what can she do to make a difference and and where can she make the best difference?
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's interesting.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I have already talked a lot about the engineering and design elements here at CLT, and uh I see her brain going in that direction.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I'm constantly feeding her issues, you know, that we're seeing and saying, What would you do in this case?
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, I think and and both of our children uh we would would be really excited if they were um to step or to follow in our footsteps in the industry.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_02: And you see that as a um a long-term prosperous career despite everything we're talking about, FTE events on AI and robotics and um the human has a part to play in this story for a generation or two to come, right?
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I like to think about it, you know, with all of these technological innovations, especially with AI and the conversation surrounding, you know, AI is going to take jobs.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: In my experience, there always needs to be a human in the loop.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: At some point, there will need to be a person, whether it's someone that's just overseeing or uh someone that's uh double checking the data.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: But I think what we'll need to be doing is we'll we'll shift how we work.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe the human that's uh involved isn't doing the traditional things.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they're doing something else.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: And and maybe we don't know what that is just yet.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I do see that that will be the case.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: There will always need to be some sort of human element.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: So we may need to shift our mindset.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_02: And a dog, a human and a dog, that's the dream team.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yes.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love it.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_02: But that is reassuring for someone at the cutting edge of innovation that you you feel that the uh that is the way it is going.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and certainly that chimes and echoes with previous guests we've had on the show, uh, that the human is always going to be part of this.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um perhaps, you know, um augmented by technology, but they remain um central.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: How do you stay creative, Martha?
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and stop yourself from you know going stale, I guess, with new ideas, for example.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we touched a little bit on that earlier, and I think about this quite a bit uh as I lead a team here, and sometimes we can get stuck in the issues that we're dealing with, but it's actually getting out, getting out of the day-to-day, changing up the routine.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe what it is, it's getting out to a conference, it's getting out to another airport to visit your counterparts, it's um just getting out into the aviation ecosystem to understand what's out there.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: And and maybe it's beyond the aviation ecosystem, you know, perhaps it's it's in the hospitality or it could be in hospitals or banking and just see what solutions that they have uh that might actually mesh nicely with the work that we do.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, it's uh maybe taking a step back to get out is the advice that I would give there.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_02: What would you say uh for you has been the proudest moment of your career that Oh, oh, that's a great question.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um I have a few that come to mind, but the most recent example is um during the COVID-19 pandemic, of course, we were turning the airport into a hospital.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and it was something that we were somewhat unfamiliar with, but uh had a really quick opportunity to learn uh everything about the healthcare system and what we can do within our own environment to implement those uh safeguards and keep travelers safe and continue with travel.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um so the proudest moment for me was I was um given the opportunity to lead CLT's COVID um recovery team.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we dubbed ourselves the Experience Recovery Team, or you know, we love uh uh an acronym, so the ERT at CLT.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I mean it went on for, oh my goodness, almost two years.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: And many of us were implementing and brainstorming and researching and meeting and all those good things from our homes, where we were keeping those that are operationally on the front line safe by not being here, but we were doing all this in in close connectivity via Zoom calls like this, uh, via Teams and all the other um meeting platforms.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, it was it was my proudest moment um of work that I have done.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like the team made a tremendous difference in the operation here at CLT and am proud to work with those co-workers that worked with me.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_02: What about you know, taking a look further ahead?
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'd be really interested to get your um guide here to how you see the airport premises changing and how future airports might look.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_02: How different do you think the environment might look um in, say, 30, 40 years?
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, wow.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_00: 30, 40 years, imagine if industry trends are correct and we're predicted to be double the size that we are now, uh, you know, on average uh within the industry, I think the the environment will look very different.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh my hopes is that it will be more seamless uh with the touchless uh solutions and implementations where the the bottlenecks where you have to cue up and wait for a simple service, um, maybe are leveraging a lot more technology where there is less of a stop.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's more of a free flow where you're moving through the process, um, you don't have that, those long waits at certain areas.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of that implementation is happening now with biometric solutions, with uh e-gates, um, where there's not many, um, not much of a human involvement, but it is more of a seamless process.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, what is the next step of that look like that helps us just continue where you're walking through anywhere and everywhere, but yet you're still able to ensure that those security, the regulatory safeguards are in place.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really excited in this space just for technology to be put in place to help with this.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: But then looking at the larger ecosystem of the terminal complex, uh I think about, you know, every every airport typically has your one road in, one road out.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, maybe there's other opportunities.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, some of the larger airports in the world have several different options and conduits to actually get into the terminal facility from north, south, east, west, etc.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think of Heathrow, where you can, you know, go under the tunnel from one terminal to the other, or you can take the transit.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so just more mobility added for the folks that are coming in, where it's not just this single point that you're entering into.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so some advancements hopefully in the uh infrastructure and design element, and of course having the technology advancements uh layering on top of that to really create that seamless process.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: As uh yeah, uh a key promoter of you know, your face is your boarding pass.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: I I hope it's the same.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: Your face will be your passport, your face will be your electronic visa, etc.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_02: Which again lends itself to ease and stress and is removed of wherever I put my passport, but so um should be all conducive to a more seamless, enjoyable passenger journey, you would hope.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, yes.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_02: How do you switch off, Martha to see how passionate you are about the job and uh how much it means to you?
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_02: So, how do you get away from it all um after hours and weekends?
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I think you know, you know, there's a lot of people.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_02: Every time a plane flies over your house and then oh, it's there again, yeah.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, flight radar 24, I the whole family.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes you can hear if it's a heavy aircraft or you know, you hear the the Airbus.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: So um, but absolutely amazing.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: But no, uh I I will say there's not a lot of switching off.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I know that's very unhealthy to say, but uh thankfully, you know, I'm a wife, I'm a mother, uh, I'm a daughter to you know folks that are um not too far from me.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_00: So it's sometimes it just happens naturally where you you switch off because someone else uh needs your assistance.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: So uh but I am an avid stand-up paddle boarder.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: So that if you can find me away from here, that's where I'll be.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_02: Oh wow, that that sounds like fun.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh well that's a good pursuit.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_02: I was going to recommend some um emotional support rabbits.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_02: I've got a few in the house something to look at.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_02: But I guess the um on a serious note, if it's a passion, if it's something you love, the need to kind of get away from it isn't perhaps as as strong because the need you find it through yourself, others that you uh speak to and privileged in my role to do it, that it's just such a um you know, a love of the of the industry that um it isn't a job so much as a labour of love.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_02: So um people perhaps don't feel like they do in other pursuits, the need to kind of um step away from it all because it's stressful.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_02: That's right.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I recognize my my philosophy on that is or or feelings on that is is just one.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think others in the generations uh coming behind us may have a a different and a better philosophy that might be a little more healthy from the work-life balance.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, when you when you love it to your point, it does not feel like a job.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I feel like it's a great responsibility.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: And uh like many people, I just want to do a good job and and be responsible.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_02: Indeed.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um Martha, we're running uh out of time.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_02: So for my closing question, um, I just wanted to ask you what else we could look out for in the near future from um CLC?
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_02: Anything you know you guys are working on that you want to talk about?
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_00: So this is uh definitely something that fits nicely within the experiential shop here at CLT.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: But we are in the beginning stages of launching uh what I call a customer-centric culture program.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_00: So we are looking to adopt a culture program that helps um identify how all employees, all badge holders at CLT can understand their importance uh of the passenger journey.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: They want, I want them to understand how they fit into this large puzzle that makes everything just work so perfectly for the customers.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_00: So um think of the the Disney model.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know you're going to get the same experience from every cast member that you run into at Disney.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we have a great desire to have that here at CLT as well.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_00: We have a wonderful foundation already.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_00: So it's building upon that and um understanding how we can help support travelers and support employees at the same time.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, it's a very large implementation here for our team and something that we've been working toward on behalf of our CEO for at least the last seven years that I've I've sat in this role and uh really excited to launch that initiative this summer.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be launching the first phase.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you'll be able to see, I'll share with you, uh we have a logo in development, and there'll be a series of um promotional um items and trainings that go along with it.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_00: But we've already had a um a wonderful group of ambassadors that represent over 20 of the companies that work here at CLT.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: And these ambassadors are coming together, uh led by our customer initiatives manager here on the innovation and experience team to really brainstorm how we can make this happen.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_00: This is a very large initiative and we have a lot of people to reach.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_00: In some areas, there are employers that the employees are somewhat rotating, the attrition is very high.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do we maintain that level of service knowing that we might have different employees in in these certain functions very frequently?
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm really excited about that.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's the psychological aspect of the job where we just want everyone to love this place as much as we do and um to really understand how they can help the customer have a better experience while they're here.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, what a great sounds like a brilliant one for a future uh case study at an FTE conference.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll have to talk to you about that once you've got it up and running.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but well, we wish you well with the launch and thank you so much for um sharing your enthusiasm, your passion, and your expertise with us on the show today.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_00: Max, thank you so much for having me.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, on behalf of CLT Airport, it's an honor to be here on the podcast.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_00: Always appreciate the opportunity.
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you very much, Martha.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_02: Take care and have a good day.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, you too.